


Setter and Ace

by aosav



Series: Kageyama Friendships [4]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-04
Updated: 2017-02-04
Packaged: 2018-09-22 02:26:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9578378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aosav/pseuds/aosav
Summary: Asahi meets Kageyama at the gym for some one-on-one practice.





	

Asahi arrives at the gym not knowing what to expect. He doesn’t even know why he agreed to this, really. It’s all a blur of serious blue eyes and “Azumane-san” and Kageyama clutching that volleyball in his hands while he stared at Asahi and asked if Asahi was free for extra practice at any point. Asahi hadn’t known what to say. He had been too surprised to think of an excuse and just the idea of turning Kageyama down flatly when he was looking at Asahi like that had made Asahi feel guilty. Kageyama had simply looked so earnest that Asahi hadn’t been able to turn him down.

No matter how earnest Kageyama was, though, he’s still Kageyama – he is earnest and eager and serious and awkward and intense and oh why did Asahi agree to this?

When Asahi told Noya that he was meeting Kageyama for private practice this afternoon, Noya had been surprisingly upbeat about it and had offered a plethora of advice ranging from the helpful – be direct; he responds well to that – to the extremely unhelpful – if he tries to kill you, pelt him with volleyballs; he’ll be too distracted by trying to set them to run after you when you make your escape.

Kageyama isn’t going to try to kill him – Asahi knows that. Kageyama is not a bad person; he’s just an awkward person. Asahi likes Kageyama, really. It’s just that Kageyama is … intense. Kageyama is very intense. Kageyama is intimidating, despite being two years younger than Asahi, and Asahi never knows what to say to him.

Asahi unlocks the gym and steps inside, his nerves running high. Kageyama isn’t here yet, but Asahi is a few minutes early. He wanted to give himself some time to collect his thoughts before Kageyama arrives.

“Azumane-san.”

So much for that.

Asahi turns around and sees Kageyama standing just inside the gym. Kageyama is dressed for practice and is gripping the strap of his bag, which is slung over his shoulder, very tightly. He almost looks nervous.

“Kageyama-kun,” Asahi says. He smiles, trying to put Kageyama at ease. “I was going to get the balls out before you got here.”

“Sorry I’m early,” Kageyama says.

“No, no, it’s fine,” Asahi says hurriedly, shaking his head. “We can go ahead and get started now, since we’re both here.”

Kageyama nods. He drops his bag onto the floor by the door and then heads for the storage closet. Asahi deposits his own bag near Kageyama's and follows him.

They wheel out the cart of volleyballs and set up the net in silence. Asahi doesn’t know what to say. Kageyama doesn’t seem inclined to say anything. Once everything is set up, they stretch, also in silence. Kageyama still appears tense and he doesn’t look at Asahi at all as they stretch. Asahi focuses on his own stretching and wonders why he is here.

All too soon, they are left standing alone in the middle of the gym, the only sounds the ticking of the clock and the squeak of Asahi's shoes as he shuffles his feet.

“Well,” Asahi says after a few moments of awkward silence. Kageyama's head jerks around to look at him. The intensity of his gaze makes Asahi nervous. He coughs, then forces himself to continue talking. It is clear that Kageyama expects Asahi to take the lead here, despite the fact that Kageyama is the one who wanted to meet to practice. “So,” Asahi says, “what is it that you want to work on, Kageyama-kun?”

“I want to set for you,” Kageyama says immediately.

Asahi isn’t surprised. He has been too generally nervous to think much about what, exactly, Kageyama might want to do at a private practice with Asahi, but Kageyama's focus is fairly narrow. Asahi knows that Kageyama does practice other volleyball skills, but, if given the chance, Kageyama will always opt for setting practice over anything else.

“Okay,” Asahi says. “I guess we should just – jump right into it, then.”

Kageyama walks quickly over to the cart of volleyballs and pulls one out. He squeezes it tightly in his hands as he moves to stand in front of the net.

Asahi steps back, watching Kageyama and waiting for him to toss the ball. Once Kageyama does, Asahi runs forward and jumps, hitting the ball over the net and down onto the other side of the court with a satisfying smack. He lands and turns to look at Kageyama. Kageyama is frowning at Asahi.

“How was that toss?” Kageyama asks.

“It was good,” Asahi says. It _was_ good. Kageyama is much easier to play with these days than he was when he first joined the club. Kageyama has always been an amazing setter in terms of speed and control and his sense of the game, but his tosses have only fairly recently become genuinely easy to hit.

“How could it be better for you?” Kageyama asks. He is still looking at Asahi – staring at Asahi – and his expression is very intense.

“There’s nothing really in particular I would change,” Asahi says honestly. “It was high and back from the net; it was easy to hit.”

“Do you want it higher?” Kageyama asks. “Further back? A little closer? Lower? Faster? Not as fast as that? Do you want the ball more in front of you or to the side so it’s in front of your hand when you jump? Do you –”

“Slow down!” Asahi cuts in. He holds both of his hands up and shakes his head. Kageyama's mouth snaps shut. “Just – just slow down, Kageyama-kun,” Asahi tells him. “The toss was good.”

“But it could be better,” Kageyama says. “I don’t want to give you good tosses – I want to give you tosses that are exactly how you want them.”

“It _was_ how I like them,” Asahi tells him, trying to be reassuring. It doesn’t seem to work.

Kageyama scowls. He doesn’t seem to believe Asahi – or maybe he just doesn’t like being told that good enough is good enough. Asahi wants to improve too, so he understands that, but Kageyama seems far too intense, even for Kageyama. Kageyama's fingers are clenched into tight fists at his sides and his expression is set in displeasure and frustration. There must be something else going on here.

Asahi doesn’t think of himself as a particularly good upperclassman. He tries to be encouraging and to offer advice when he can, but he isn’t Suga, who has a way of making people feel valued and at-ease, or Daichi, who gives everyone confidence just by being there. Asahi is just … himself.

Something is clearly bothering Kageyama, though, and Asahi _is_ Kageyama's upperclassman and the ace of the team and he owes it to Kageyama to at least ask about what is bothering him.

Asahi rubs at the back of his head, studying Kageyama for a moment. Kageyama is looking away, at the cart of volleyballs, still radiating tension that is putting Asahi on edge too. When Asahi clears his throat, Kageyama turns to look at him again.

“You seem really tense,” Asahi says, to start with. Kageyama stares at him, continuing to look very tense. “Is there …” Asahi hesitates, glancing away from Kageyama's intense stare and then forcing himself to meet Kageyama's gaze again. Now Kageyama looks slightly confused as well as frustrated. “Is there something wrong, Kageyama-kun?” Asahi finally asks.

“No,” Kageyama answers immediately. He glances away as he says it, though.

Asahi remembers Noya's advice: be direct. It’s good advice.

“What are you worried about?” Asahi asks, forcing himself to sound more confident this time.

For a moment, Kageyama says nothing. His scowl intensifies. Asahi thinks that he might not answer, but then Kageyama's honesty and directness win out.

“You’re the ace of the team,” Kageyama says.

Asahi feels a pit form in his stomach. Kageyama is worried because Asahi is the ace. Sure, they lost to Seijou at the Interhigh, but the whole team has improved a lot since then and Kageyama hasn’t seemed to have any problems with Asahi. Is this why Kageyama wanted to practice, just the two of them – to make sure that Asahi is good enough for the team?

“You’re the one we count on,” Kageyama says, pulling Asahi out of his spiraling thoughts and making him focus on what Kageyama is actually saying again, “when we’re in a tight spot.” Kageyama pauses and looks away again. His scowl deepens. “So what good am I as a setter,” Kageyama continues, his tone fiercer now than it was a moment ago, “if I can’t toss to you effectively?”

Asahi is stunned. He does not know how to respond to that. Before he is even given a real chance to consider what he wants to say, Kageyama continues talking.

“We lost against Seijou because I wasn’t good enough,” Kageyama says. Asahi shakes his head, but Kageyama goes on. “Next time,” he says, “we will win. We will be the stronger team. I need to improve my tosses for everyone, but you’re the ace.” Kageyama meets Asahi's eyes and his mouth presses into a thin line for a moment.

Asahi does not try to interject, even though Kageyama has gone quiet; he waits, watching Kageyama, giving Kageyama space to say whatever he needs to say.

“We all rely on you,” Kageyama says, after a moment, so seriously, “and I need to make sure I’m giving you the very best tosses I can. I didn’t help our ace at all in middle school; I just wanted him to hit my tosses. I didn’t toss _to him_. I want to toss to you in the way that you want me to toss to you.”

Asahi waits for a moment, giving Kageyama time to add anything else that he wants to say, but Kageyama doesn’t. He seems to be done for now.

Asahi takes a bracing breath. He is glad that Kageyama doesn’t think he’s a bad ace, but this isn’t good either. He doesn’t want Kageyama to feel responsible for this. Being the ace is Asahi's job – Asahi doesn’t want Kageyama to feel responsible any time that Asahi can’t score with one of Kageyama's tosses; that isn’t fair to Kageyama.

“Your tosses are good,” Asahi says. Kageyama's expression darkens with displeasure. Asahi rushes to address Kageyama's concerns so that Kageyama knows that he isn’t blowing him off. “I appreciate that you want to be a better player – a better setter,” Asahi says. “We all want to improve, and that’s what makes us such a strong team.” Kageyama's expression lightens somewhat; he is watching Asahi raptly, which is a little nerve-wracking, but Asahi pushes forward. “I want to improve too, and I think us working together more is a great idea. But it isn’t your job to worry about me being the ace. That’s my job.”

Kageyama is scowling again.

“What happened in middle school,” Asahi says, hesitantly. Kageyama flinches and looks away. “It was terrible,” Asahi says, keeping his tone gentle. “But this isn’t middle school. We aren’t –” Asahi has a sudden moment of clarity and runs with it “– we aren’t going to toss you aside if you aren’t perfect.”

Kageyama says nothing. He continues looking away from Asahi. He is suddenly so tense that Asahi thinks his whole body might just snap like a rubber band stretched too far at any moment. Clearly, Asahi has hit upon the problem. The question now is what to do about it. This is not Asahi's forte; he wishes Suga were here. In Suga's absence, he tries to think of what Suga might say. Or what Noya might say.

Be direct.

Okay – Asahi will be direct.

“Look,” Asahi says, “you’re part of a team, right?”

“Yes,” Kageyama says, stiffly, still looking away.

“So trust us to do our parts just like we trust you to do yours,” Asahi says.

He doesn’t know if that’s the right thing to say. Suga and Daichi usually handle this kind of thing on the team, and it was their upperclassmen before that. Asahi doesn’t have much experience with this. He might have been _too_ direct – too blunt, too unfeeling. He watches Kageyama with apprehension that he hopes doesn’t show as Kageyama very obviously thinks this over.

Slowly, Kageyama's shoulders lower. His hands uncurl and his expression untwists.

Asahi feels a rush like spiking the ball that is every bit as satisfying. He grins, a bit nervously, when Kageyama finally looks at him again.

“Thank you, Azumane-san,” Kageyama says. He bows.

Asahi bows back, feeling relieved that Kageyama seems to have accepted Asahi's assurance. Asahi smiles when Kageyama meets his eyes again and rubs the back of his head.

“So,” Asahi says, “ready to toss to me? Just keep them like that last one.”

Kageyama nods eagerly, his expression focused in the way that he always looks focused when volleyball is involved but with his posture still relaxed, and goes to grab another volleyball.

Asahi gets into position.

Kageyama tosses.

Asahi spikes.

This time, Asahi pays attention to the details of the toss and tells Kageyama exactly what he thinks of it.

“You can toss it a little harder and faster, if you want – your aim is so good that I don’t have to worry too much about where the ball is, so I can still hit it if you bring it to me faster.”

The next toss is harder and faster. The smack of the ball hitting the far side of the court is all the more satisfying because of it.

What is more satisfying, though, is the look on Kageyama's face when Asahi tells him that the toss was exactly what he asked for.

Maybe Asahi isn’t so bad at this whole upperclassman thing after all.


End file.
